The Origins of Naruto
by NekoVampireNinja
Summary: Behind the scenes of the cannon timeline was ANBU Team 4, a team with amazing potential and skill. Once the epitome of power, the team was crushed and forgotten.. One became insane, another a recluse, the third a traitor and the fourth... A dobe. No slash
1. A Brief Prologue

It was a simple routine A rank mission...

Whilst Konoha ninja usually avoided dealing with the ninja of neutral countries, rogue Iwa nin had started leeching off Konoha's supply routes and the Sandaime had ordered an extermination of the entire band.

Quick, tense communication with Iwa had assured them there would be no action taken against Konoha for the murder of their AWOL ninja.

So the Hokage dispatched ANBU Team 4, an elite but fairly new ANBU group, barely having chosen a captain.

Like most good things - the Fourth Hokage included - the Team's existence would be short-lived.

They just didn't know it yet…


	2. An Ordinary Mission

_Nine days from Konoha_

_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..._

They located the group of missing nin late into the ninth day of the mission. They had set up a makeshift camp in a cave just inside the borders of fire country.

A lone ninja watched the thugs leer at their ill-gotten gains. It was pointless, he decided. To steal such magnificent items yet do nothing but hoard it. His ANBU mind tracked each individual, eyes hidden behind a Weasel mask noting every weakness they displayed.

"We'll wait." Spoke a quiet voice from beside him, interrupting his surveillance. "They are in their comfort zone, under the earth, and we need a larger space for most of our Juutsus to work effectively. We'll get them when they leave tomorrow."

The first ninja nodded and they silently faded back into the shadows, returning to the rest of their team just beyond the tree line.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Unlike Iwa, they preferred to camp out of sight in the branches of the trees_; hidden in the leaves_, as their village name suggested.

Snake was there, mask off to one side as she let her long tongue lazily lick the last remnants of Dango off the stick. Owl sat next to her, perched neatly, yet the slump of his shoulders indicated that boredom was already setting in. Their postures were in direct comparison, yet they both remained sitting close together on the same branch. They tilted their heads slightly in the direction of the two ninja emerging from the trees.

"We'll wait til morning." Repeated the captain for the sake of the two other ninja.

Snake grinned cruelly, flicking away the finished stick. "Great. I like to see the looks on their faces when they die."

Owl shifted subtly away from her.

"Their defence is poor." Weasel noted, taking off his mask. His young face contrasted strangely with the deep look in his black eyes, and the lines beneath it. "They have no traps for any enemies outside their camp. They are either overconfident or lazy."

"Mah, all the better they're stupid." Decided Snake with a flick of her wrist. "I always feel better knowing I've gotten rid of at least one moron from the world."

"Simple comforts, eh Anko?" Smiled Owl as he sweat dropped.

"Killing and food, what else does a woman need?" She tugged another stick of Dango from her pack.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Weasel swung gently up into a branch nearby as the rest of the team began to ration out the food they had left from the last town they visited. His eyes turned to the direction he knew the Iwa nin were still snapping over their gains. It was unusual that such a large group had remained intact for so long. Usually they would have either disbanded or killed off a few over petty possession disputes.

He felt the sudden presence of his Captain beside him. Just the presence, not the arrival. Without his Sharingan, he didn't stand a chance of noticing the movements of his captain.

"'Tachi." His Captain interrupted his thoughts.

He tilted his head to meet bright blue eyes and a hand waving a bread roll in his face.

"You gotta eat." Pressed Taichou. "I know you don't like much so I got you some bread." He waved the offering again.

With his ANBU gear on, their captain was almost six foot, his snarling fox mask peeking out from under the standard issue ANBU hood. Anonymity was important for an ANBU, so outside the organisation he was just another masked figure.

Inside it, however, he was the youngest prodigy to ever join their ranks.

And even then hardly anybody knew exactly how old he was.

Team 4 were the only ANBU who even knew his name.

...

His name was Uzumaki Naruto.

He was 6 years old.

...

Having taken off his ANBU gear, the formerly imposing ANBU shrunk to less than a metre high. Now unbound by the cowl of his cloak, sunshine blonde hair waved gently in the breeze, and the scowling mask couldn't be any more juxtaposed from Naruto's sweet, childish face. Itachi supposed it was an interesting bit of humour on the Thirds' part, the use of a fox, and the fact it looked so horrifying. Consequences be damned, Sarutobi was going to stick it to the old toads on the Council and hide the fox boy right under their noses. He couldn't even have made it any more obvious.

Praised as a genius, the Uchiha had been given supplementary lessons to accelerate his learning after he graduated early. Under the tutelage of the Third Hokage, Naruto had joined him, secretly training after the Hokage had discovered Naruto's accelerated skills and ability to learn and adapt. The two worked so well together; their fighting styles complementing each other perfectly - Itachi's subtle Genjuutsu attacks working to cover and/or distract multiple opponents while Naruto's high-damage strategic juutsus took out large groups effectively. They became a strong team and competed in the Jonin exams together under false names.

Upon meeting who would be their new teammates, already-anbu Genma and Anko responded respectively with scepticism and ridiculously loud cackling. Perhaps they would have been accepting of Itachi because of his honoured Uchiha heritage, but the four-foot blonde baby that stood front-and-centre looking as though he had no idea where he was brought the two to glance questioningly at the Hokage to see if he had decided this would be a great idea for a joke. But no, the Hokage assured, the four were, in fact, going to be made into an ANBU team.

It barely took three missions or the team to work themselves out, and the four were inseparable upon return.

Strong, quiet and compassionate, Naruto exuded a continuous presence within the group, even when not participating in the conversation. Bright-eyed and with a gentle smile, Naruto somehow maintained his childhood beauty even after having slaughtered countless ninja.

The Third didn't seem at all surprised when the remaining three elected Naruto as captain.

Naruto did, though.

In public, Anko was the psychotic frequenter of Konoha's dango shop, who enjoyed assisting in the happenings of the T&I department... even when off duty. Genma was a nara-esque attendant who was actually given the occasional C rank like guarding the gate because of his pure lack of interest. Other than that, he was found reading in the Jounin lounge. Itachi - the overachiever- utilized the Uchiha clan training ground religiously, but still managed to find time for his family in between training and missions. Especially his little brother Sasuke. He found the carefree boy a wonderful break from the strict, traditional atmosphere from his parents, who followed the Clans rules and regulations to the book. Naruto Uzumaki, the 'demon child' to the villagers, actually avoided the majority of civillian and ninja contact alike. He purposely maintained anonimity so that his comings and goings as a ninja wouldn't be noticed. His involvement in any level of the ninja corps was a S-rank secret in itself.

And so, the four ninja avoided any contact, and passed each other passively in the street. It wouldn't do well to be seen in public, of course.

Away from prying eyes, however, Anko would love to feed Naruto sticks of dango from her fingers, willing to share her treats at being able to see his tiny teeth nibble small bites. Itachi enjoyed sparring with Anko and Naruto - both of whose front attack style of fighting gave him a wonderful challenge. Genma -although never showing it- enjoyed the training and missions he went on with the team. Even sparring was enjoyable for the team, who liked to alternate sparring and lounging under trees. Itachi was immused immensely by the fact that their team Captain made sure to look after every team member like - well - a captain. And yet, because of his deminuative size and innocent persona, the rest of the team were drawn into watching his every action, so that he wouldn't hurt himself or be hurt.

Kind of funny, considering how much their spars indicated how well he was at destroying each of them in a fight.

...

And so Itachi found himself two months from his teams conception, on their thirty fourth mission, taking bread from the tiny boy's hand. He offered a gentle yet real smile.

Naruto flashed him a brilliant, wide eyed grin in return as he bounced down to sit beside Anko, who was attempting to stick her third finished stick of dango in Genma's ear.

Itachi smiled, lifting his head again to gaze at the unseen camp below them. He was not worried about the slaughter they would commit the next day. It was common place in their twisted, strange lives.

It was just a routine mission, after all.


	3. Brief Bonding

Anko grinned widely as the agile child slithered down beside her, ruffling a Dango-covered hand through his soft yellow hair. The silent Uchiha remained ensconsed in his ponderings just above them. It was a completely normal occurance by now.

"Eck, Anko-chan." Naruto pouted as he brushed crumbs from his hair. He was immediately distracted by his sticky fingers and began to interestedly lick them clean. Anko smirked and grabbed a towel, wiping his hands clean, instead shoving a whole ball of dango into the childs hands. His eyes lit up immediately as he sunk his small teeth into the treat.

"Your hair's getting long." Anko commented, picking a golden strand from her fingers, rolling it between her fingers.

Naruto shrugged, happily nibbling on his treat. He didn't flinch as Anko took a kunai from her pouch and proceeded to shave away at the tips of his golden hair. Femininity be damned, Anko could cut hair... and some other things not too far from the head too...

By the time Naruto's hair was at a length that didn't swing in his eyes, the boy was licking the sticky residue off his small fingertips.

"Perfect." Grinned Anko as she gripped the boys chin in her hands, tilting his head to get a better look. He fought her absently, trying to stick his almost clean fingers into his mouth. "Now you won't have to was so much to get the blood out."

"Hmm…" Naruto ran a small hand through his shorter but no less soft hair, nodding. "Good thinking."

Anko glanced up at the distracted Uchiha. "Looks like he'll be taking first watch again."

Naruto nodded gently, contemplating another bun in his hands. "I like it that he does. It means its' easy to give him the shortest shift. He would go the whole night on guard if he could." He took a small bite out of the bun.

"Psh, and Genma would take the shortest, am I right?" Anko lazed back against the tree trunk, eyes closed, hands behind her head.

A tick on Genma's still-masked face appeared. "If anyone's the lazy one, its' you, Anko." He sneered.

"Mah… mask off Genma-chan." Naruto interrupted the conversation, leaning across Anko to rest his hand in Genma's lap, the other hand plucking the mask off Owls' face. The boy dropped the mask into Genma's lap before returning to happily munch on his food.

Genma stared blankly before shrugging, closing his eyes with a sigh. Sleeping in a tree wasn't his favourite thing to do, but it sure was better than being discovered if the lazy nuke nin did decide to send a patrol out.

And rabid squirrels. Man they sucked.

And so with nothing better to do than rest, the group drifted off to sleep, ready for tomorrows confrontation.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

This -short- chapter had no real reason to be included except to introduce who Owl was, and to show the NARU BONDING between Anko, Genma and Naruto. Also, there will be NO PAIRINGS IN THIS FIC AT ALL… It's not that I'm against them, I just dislike writing them.


	4. Poison

It was four on nine. Piece of cake. Itachi - overachiever that he is - went down to the camp at night to observe the ninja and any weaknesses and flaws they displayed. Despite knowing how good Itachi's stealth skills were, he received a stern scolding from Naruto for putting his life in danger.

And so the group had a rough knowledge of the trappers, the medics and the brute-force ninja in the group.

Naruto would be taking the hulking brute of a ninja who - if his lack of a shirt gave any indication - didn't need any clothes or armour to protect himself from attacks. Naruto's ANBU form only _appeared _to be six foot high. However, if you were to try and actually touch him above, say, the waist, you would reach nothing but air. The area that Naruto could be touched in was equal to his ordinary size. Fighting against such a large opponent would be his forte; someone that big wouldn't really have much need for accuracy, and so Naruto would be hard to hit.

Itachi would assist Naruto by putting the brute under a Genjutsu using his sharingan, before moving on to two ninja who had been reported to work together to bounce needle-sharp fragments of poisoned stone between each other - and through the enemy. His agility and Genjutsu would help him avoid them in order to take them down. Anko was practically salivating over the chance to "bash in the skulls" of three 'tough' looking tattooed guys, who other than the obscene references to sex written across their forearms showed no indication of being able to hold off Anko's wrath. Genma was less excited to deal with a man who seemed to like removing random parts of his body and using them as weapons.

The two others rogue ninja were only really useful for medic and healing and wouldn't be much of a distraction to the ANBU as they took down the bigger threats. They also hoped to capture one or both of them and take them back to Konoha for interrogation.

As the bandits trudged carelessly through the unfamiliar territory, their minds were focused only on pillaging the belongings of someone who worked hard for it.

As their minds wandered, ANBU captain Fox - returned to his six foot glory - gave a silent hand signal, and the four ninja hidden above them slid down to surround them.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

To credit their ninja skills, the group of bandits responded acceptably fast.

Not quick enough to stop Ankos' fist going through ones head, but fast enough that the ninja behind him managed to avoid being slammed also.

In seconds, Itachi had the hulking brute stumbling in a disorientating Genjutsu which involved seeing multiples of everything. It was a neat little trick. Itachi didn't even need to create any images, the Genjutsu only needed what was already around the victim to multiply and viola; it was pretty hard to hit something when you weren't sure exactly which the real one was.

It was also great fun watching them dodge attacks that weren't even there.

Satisfied with his skill, Itachi turned to his designated opponents. They had already circled around him to face each other, ready to play ping-pong with deadly precision. They didn't know, however, that they were already in their own personal Genjutsu. Itachis' spinning eyes had already made it appear that he was half a metre to the left of where he actually was. Not such a great shift that they would notice easily, but a great advantage on the Uchiha's part.

It was almost boring. Dodging was something simple to Itachi, and avoiding the needles was easy. He found his attention turning to the wellbeing of his team mates, and he glanced over at Genma to see that he was faring fine against his unusual opponent, albeit being slightly disgusted that the man was using his own tongue as a whip. One glance at the bloody carnage on Anko's side showed that there was nothing unusual there either.

Itachi turned his covered Uchiha eyes towards the nin on his left, trapping her in a Genjutsu that meant she caught the needles heading from her counterpart… with her face. The other woman gave a small cry of shock as she watched the woman go down.

Itachi caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Naruto's ogre of an opponent had - through either luck, skill, or lacking brain size - thrown off his Genjutsu, and was slamming his gigantic hammer towards the dodging Fox ANBU with alarming accuracy.

Itachi swiftly moved his hands into a seal to replace the Genjutsu on the brute just as his eyes locked with Naruto's.

In a split second, Itachi was on the ground with the Fox on top of him. Faster than even his eyes could track, Naruto had moved again, gone from his chest and now standing over the motionless body of Itachi's remaining opponent.

It was quiet, their portion of the battleground stilled, the only sound being the cackling and whooping from Anko as she played with the final surviving ninja. With a great thud Naruto's former opponent, the ogre, fell to the ground beside the rest of his group, grasping limply at a gaping hole in his chest.

Naruto had gone right through him to get to Itachi.

Blinking his still-red eyes and still trying to process what had happened, Itachi noted that Anko had already bound one of the medics, the other lying dead at her feet- probably for no other reason than Anko wanted to kill them.

"Idiot." Growled Naruto, his voice still disguised as a deep, nondescript baritone. He dropped the limp woman to the ground unceremoniously as he pounced agian on the Uchiha, clenching the front of Itachi's robes. "You had your opponents, I had mine. I can deal with one guy, no matter what the size. You nearly got a face full of needles. Your eyes wouldn't do you any good blind." He poked him in the forehead visciously. Naruto was pissed.

Itachi was a little surprised. Only a little. Naruto was never this rough, especially with people he loved. He supposed he could understand that he was upset over the near-injury of his teammate.

Itachi was hoisted to his feet by the not-so-tiny fist, before he followed the scowling Captain over to the captive. Still slightly dazed, Itachi would later look back and be ashamed and disgusted that he was so out of it that he missed the tiny drops of blood that fell to stain the forest floor.

Anko, however, was infinitely attuned to the scent of blood, and her sharp eyes moved from the horrified captive to her captain.

"Anko, stop playing with your food." Naruto droned as he reached them. Anko took the fingers she had been using to change the face of the medic out of the girls mouth, her left eye squinted as she scrutinized the Captain. Genma approached nanchalantly from where his opponent lay dying, disgruntledly wiping saliva off his face. He soon caught the mood, and his eyes switched curiously from Anko to Naruto.

The medic in the centre of this tension looked overwhelmed by the slaughter of her group and Anko's insane disposition. But Anko wasn't interested in her pet anymore. Instead she pounced on her Captain.

"Hey,-" Naruto mumbled, but Anko had already pulled the mask off his face, cancelling the Genjutsu. Everyone ignored the gasp from the medic as Naruto shrunk to his normal, tiny size, rubbing his eyes as the shady hood was pulled back.

Anko grasped the bemused childs' wrist delicately between forefinger and thumb, pulling up his ANBU sleeve to reveal four of the small needles buried in his thin forearm. Although only a few beads of blood dripped from the wounds, it was hard to miss the green tint to Naruto's veins just around the point of impact.

"Anko?" The boy's voice cracked, worried by the flat look on Anko's usually sadistic face. She ignored him, instead swiftly plucking one needle from a wrist that barely twitched. In a millisecond, the weapon was shoved under the alarmed medic's nose.

"What's on this!" Screamed Anko, pressing the weapon against the terrified girls nose, her other hand fisting her hair tightly.

"I- uh." The medic choked on her words until Genma pulled Anko back from leaning on the woman's throat. "I think it's n-nightlock. Tomoko uses that poison a lot, she gets it from Iwa…" The girl shifted uncomfortably, trying to move away from the enraged masked ANBU.

"The antidote, where is it?" Scowled Anko, fingers wrapping again around the girls throat.

"I- I don't know-" Her words were cut off as she fell face first into the floor as Anko disappeared. She and Itachi began rifling the bodies of the dead needle nin.

"There's nothing here!" Spat Anko as she smashed the only two vials she found - both ink - into the ground. She rounded on the medic again. "No one who uses poison doesn't carry the antidote to it!" She screamed. "Where is it?"

"She-Tomoko and Hanako had a resistance to it! They - uh - dosed themselves to make themselves immune to it! They didn't like wasting poison on antidotes they didn't need…" She trailed off, glancing at the inanimate Genma and Naruto, silently asking for assistance. She recieved slight shrugs from the teammates who had decided it was best to leave their less stable teammates to their own devices.

Anko glared so flatly at the answer that the girl flinched. Or that may have been because Anko drove a fist through her chest at the exact same moment.

There was silence as the now dead medic's blood dripped off Anko's clenched fist.

…

"Nice job, Anko. Now we have no captives." Genma broke the silence in a seemingly casual voice, although his body was tense.

Scowling, Anko rounded on Naruto, who was curiously examining his wounds. She grabbed the tiny boys' shoulders tightly, yelling in his face.

"Do you feel sick? Dizzy?" She was almost hysterical.

Naruto peered wide-eyed up at her. "I feel fine, Anko-chan. Except my arm is a little sore." He peered down at his still-dripping wound. "I don't think the poison has spread very far." He fingered the greenish vein.

Anko took a shuddering breath.

"Let's leave." Itachi said, glancing around, resting a hand on Anko's shoulder. "We need to fix Naruto-Taichou's wounds, and here isn't the best place for that."

Lock-jawed, Anko nodded, hoisting Naruto over one shoulder.

"Anko-chan!" Naruto cried, indignant. "Put me down! 'Tach-kun! Don't call me 'Taichou!'" The blonde ninja had to resort to pouting over the purple-haired ninja's shoulder, kicking his legs back and forth.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Anko wasted no time finding a semi-secluded spot before tossing Naruto somewhat gently to the ground, rummaging in her backpack for bandages and anti-venoms. Itachi left to scout the area and Genma assisted by awkwardly holding the stuff that Anko thrust into his arms. Naruto just sat dazedly, watching the ninja run around hysterically with a hint of amusement. He gave up his arm without protest to Anko, who removed the needles and unsealed an analysis scroll. Genma pressed a bandage to the newly-bleeding arm of his Captain, who smiled up at him brightly, unaffected by the tense atmosphere. Genma smiled weakly back.

"It's spreading." She noted, thumbing gently over the greening veins, barely but noticeably larger than the last time. The holes themselves had already closed, thanks to the Kyuubi, leaving a spidery web of green veins. She withdrew a clean bandage and used it to tie a tourniquet on Naruto's upper arm.

Naruto crinkled his nose. "This tingles." He complained, tugging at the bandage before his hand was slapped away.

Anko dripped the poisoned needle into the centre of the scroll, reading the characters and diagrams that materialised. Her frown deepened.

"What is it?" Itachi inquired, having returned from his scouting of the area.

Anko didn't spare him a glance. "I'm not sure. Definitely plant-based, so that medic could be right. But even if it is Nightlock, the it only grows all the way in Iwa. That means we need to get back to Konoha, they'll have them in the greenhouse." She turned back to Naruto, taking his forearm again. "I'll take a blood sample to see the percentage of poison in the blood, then we will know how fast it can travel."

She used her fingers to create a chakra scalpel, nicking the boys' vein open, quickly allowing a drop of blood to fall ot a new sheet of examination parchment. Anko studied the new results with a deepening frown. "What the fu-?"

"What is it?" Itachi interrupted, his hands over Naruto's ears. Naruto rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"There's no indication of poison at all." She scowled, glancing between the boys tainted arm and the negative results.

"...What?" Asked Genma curiously.

Anko hissed angrily. "The results say there is no poison in his blood at all!"

"Well... there is..." Genma prodded Naruto's tainted arm.

"Yes, idiot, I know that!" Anko kicked out at his leg. She sighed, flopping back. She looked completely stumped. Genma fidgeted, exchanging a glance with the equally helpless Itchi. Naruto was prodding his arm, eyes close to his skin.

"What if its' not in the blood?" He asked.

Anko cocked her head, glancing sideways at him. "You mean like, in the tissue?" Naruto nodded his confirmation. "No, see, if that were the case, it wouldn't be following the veins in that green colour, it'd just make a bruising pattern. It has to be the blood."

"No, look." Naruto disagreed. He took a sharp thumb nail to his wrist, the whole team flinching as he cut deeply to the vein. After a twitch, Anko came closer to have a look.

"Oh." Anko leaned in. The vein - normally a light pink - was coloured a dirty purple colour around the area of impact. Normally, poisons wouldn't drastically affect the veins in case they destroyed their means of transport, instead taking an easy ride to vital organs and attacking them. This poison, however, clearly wasn't taking the same route.

"Its' in the _vein" _Anko frowned. "It's actually eating its way through the vein, not going through the blood at all. This is really unusual - killing like this is far slower than using the blood stream, but rediculously difficult to stop. Stopping the blood flow will be useless." She tore the now superflous bandage from Naruto's forearm.

"What can we do then?" Asked Itachi.

Anko clucked her tongue in disappointment as her eyes swept over her minmal healing items. "Not much. If it was blood, we could torniquet it off, or draw out the poison using bleeding. The only thing that can stop it is if we take off his arm."

"You're not cutting my arm off." Naruto eyes snapped up sharply, slitted red. Anko jerked back slightly.

"N-no, of course not." She agreed. Naruto settled down and twitched his head sideways, watching the group.

"That's about as much as I can do to stop the spread." She frowned, fingering the anti-venoms she had. "This will be completely useless, blood poisons only" She frowned, setting the jar aside dejectedly. Anko grunted before grabbing another vial and forcing it into Naruto's mouth. "Drink that. It's the only think I have that _might _help slow the poison down." She looked frustrated as Naruto gulped down the potion.

"What about the Kyuubi?" Itachi asked as he crouched down beside them, running the pads of his pale fingers across the webbed veins.

Anko frowned. "The fox can't heal this sort of poison. Its why it's so effective. Antibodies can't easily attack the poison at risk of damaging the veins permanantly and fatally. Same with Kyuubi's chakra. It probably can't even slow it down. I can't be sure if the rate of travel is gonna pick up, but I'm gonna say we have less than four days before it gets to his heart." Anko traced a path up Naruto's arm across his chest to where his heart is. "Hmmm, We can reinforce that organ with chakra to make it stronger and help it resist the poison, but it'll still be weak." She frowned. "It's his brain I'm worried about. We can pulse chakra into his heart in time with his heart beat, so the poison won't easily be able to reach that, but it'll damage the soft tissue in the brain if we try the same thing there. We just have to get back to Konoha before it gets that far."

There was a moment of silence.

"It's fine, Anko-chan." Naruto piped up. "I'm not dying yet. Not even close. We've done our mission, lets' head back to Konoha and nothing will go wrong. Promise." He smiled, eyes brightening.

Anko huffed, turning away from his bright little face. "Let's leave now, then." She decided, her voice still tense.

"Okay." Agreed Naruto, as though he weren't the Captain of the team. He hopped up, reaching for Itachi's clenched hand.

"Come on, Lets' go." Naruto said to the still motionless group. He smoothed Itachi's fingers out of a fist before lacing his small fingers with the bigger ones. He tugged at the still tense hand, making it clear that he wanted to walk and not be carried. Anko swiftly jammed their things back into her bag before she shoved Genma in their direction and followed after the Captain and comrade.

…..

Even though they raced through the trees at the same pace they always did, Genma, Anko and Itachi couldn't help but scrutinize their tiny Captain intensely, looking for any sign of distress. Anko had given them a week before the poison reached and destroyed the small childs' brain, but they were still at least 9 days away from Konoha, no matter how fast they intended to go.

They noticed when he started to go pale.


	5. Of Tantrums

_Eight days from Konoha_

It was nearly midnight, and Naruto had forced his team to rest. In fact, some physical coercion had even been required when Itachi - ignoring Naruto's request to stop - had slung the captain over his shoulder, intent on continuing until he collapsed. The rest of the team, too, seemed to share Itachi's sentiment also, and continued studiously until Naruto had decided that tying them to a tree would be a great idea.

And so, they were forced to rest. They sat in a circle, Naruto happily slurping cup Ramen while humming into the otherwise dead silence of the group. None of the others were touching their food. It didn't take him long before Naruto sighed, set his cup down, and glanced at each of his team-mates.

"I'm not dying." He stated flatly, losing his carefree disposition suddenly. "If I have to sit in this funeral party for the next eight days, I may have to re-tie you to those trees and continue on my own." He blinked at each one of his ANBU, daring to continue moping.

Slowly, they reached for various items for food or drink, and the silence and tension was lessened immensely. Naruto's bright smile returned, and he leaned easily on Itachi's knee, picking up his Ramen again.

Pretty soon, Anko had gone back to picking on Genma, and Itachi had once again lost himself in his Uchiha mind. The group appeared almost back to normal. Naruto just hoped it would stay like this.

… His arm really was itching.

…... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

As usual, Itachi took the first watch. He crouched easily in the shadows of the trees, where he would usually scout out the surroundings with his Sharingan until his eyes began to hurt.

But today, Itachi wondered if he were fit to do this protection job. He found himself continuously losing focus and being distracted. With good reason, too.

He had potentially gotten Naruto killed.

His lipped twitched in as much of a sneer of disgust as Itachi's limited facial expressions could manage. Naruto was right, he had been distracted. And it hadn't been him who had gotten hurt, it had been Naruto, the one he was trying to assist. An image of Naruto covered in sickly, spider-web green veins, lying on his deathbed made Itachi shudder.

"Are you cold?" Asked a voice softly. But Itachi still jumped.

Naruto slid down beside him, laying his head down in Itachi's lap, looking up at his face.

Itachi glanced away from the gorgeous, blue eyes. "Why aren't you asleep."

He reluctantly threaded his fingers through soft blonde hair; he didn't feel like he should be touching the fragile boy any more than he should be. Naruto grabbed his free hand and began playing with the long fingers. "I was worried that you were upset." Straight to the point, except still managing to sound tactful. That was Naruto. He felt the boy trace his long fingers with his short thin ones.

Itachi smiled down at Naruto, eyes closed. "I'm alright, Naruto-kun."

Naruto reached up to poke him in the nose, a soft frown creasing his face. "Don't lie." The trilling voice held authority. "Itachi-chan, don't make me say 'It's not your fault.' You're smarter than that. You don't need me to tell you."

The Uchiha sighed almost inestimably. "But it was-"

"No."

Itachi blinked "I-"

"Nup."

"You-"

"Didn't."

"I could have-"

"Do."

"Maybe-"

"Anything."

"There-"

"WRONG! Shhhhhhh!" Naruto put a finger to his mouth as he sat up, shushing the Uchiha.

Itachi's shoulders slumped, wisely not saying anything.

Naruto smiled at his silence. "Good. Now, it's Anko's turn for the watch. Up you get." Naruto shoved his shoulder gently.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "I'd actually rather-"

"Up!" Naruto hoisted him up, awkwardly, his short form barely getting him far up. Itachi turned the tables around and grabbed Naruto under the arms, swinging him up onto his hip. Mercifully, Naruto had discarded the weights he usually wore during the day - over a fifty kilos on each limb.

Despite his preference for moving under his own power, Naruto sat contentedly on Itachi's hip, fiddling with his long ponytail, swinging his feet back and forth

"Anko." Itachi nudged his comrade with his foot. "Time for your watch."

He dodged a flying Dango stick.

"Wassaugh- MY DANGO you …. Person… ugh…" Anko rolled over. Itachi's eye twitched, covering Naruto's small head protectively with one hand. He jerked his foot to send the somehow deadly food items away from the unconscious ANBU, before trying agian. Two foot nudging later, a grumbling ANBU was reluctantly awake. Itachi pulled off his weapons pouch and his mask, the whole group leaving off their cloaks for now.

He deposited the small blonde onto his futon before sliding over to his own. As he rolled to get comfortable he met still-open blue eyes.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sighed Itachi. The boy was still sitting up, tiny frame swamped by a nightshirt. He didn't understand where the boys' hyper disposition came from, even Itachi - semi insomniac that he is - was tired and ready for bed, but Naruto's eyes always seemed bright and alert.

Naruto said nothing, instead pushing back his fuuton's covers and crawling over to Itachi, wriggling himself under the blankets with him. Itachi - slightly surprised - slid over slightly to make a little more room for the baby blonde.

Naruto snuffled into Itachi's chest, sighing as he closed his eyes. He clenched tiny fists into the older boys' shirt. Itachi smiled faintly as he wrapped an arm around the small body, noting with relief that it was still at a respectable temperature . Despite his visibly paler complexion, he didn't appear to have a fever.

Itachi stayed awake until the little blonde's breathing evened out. He fell asleep wondering what Naruto was dreaming of.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Itachi awoke last the next morning; a rather strange and rare occurrence. His arms were empty of the small blonde captain, and Anko and Genma had already had their usual what-to-eat-for-breakfast fight and had even managed to cook the food before Itachi had awoken.

He sat down beside Genma just as the food was served into each of the bowls.

After the meal, Genma and Itachi packed the camp as Anko unbandaged, checked, and re-bandaged Naruto's arm. Itachi glanced at the wound to make sure all physical scarring gone from his sun-kissed skin, but the tint of green illness beneath it had spread almost to his elbow, and past his wrist in the other direction, towards his fingertips. The centre of the impact had begun bruising, like a shadow following the sickly taint.

After assuring everyone that he felt fine, and yes, he could still travel under his own power, the Team left camp, Naruto happily clamped onto Anko's hand as they jumped through the trees.

They had all made certain that they had more breaks than usual, and gave Naruto as much food and water as they could get him to accept, so that when they stopped for the night, it was acceptable that he left his dinner unfinished, claiming to be full.

...

It was not, however, acceptable that he did the same thing the following morning, seven hours later.

"I'm not hungry." Naruto pleaded his case to a hands-on-hips Snake ANBU with a pout.

"Yes you are." She insisted, attempting to shove the food into his mouth.

"Are you spoon feeding me? Hey, Noooo!" Thin limbs flailed in protest.

Itachi sipped his tea with a small smile on his face, eyes closed, trying to calm himself into tranquility whilst ignoring the scuffle behind him. He took a pleasant sip of tea, breathing out a warm breath contentedly. There was a loud crash and some giggling, and Itachi reluctantly opened his eyes to find Anko climbing out of a hole in a tree, mock scowling at a certain blonde. Unpreturbed, Anko jumped up with her own smirk and began to chase the giggling blonde around the camp, making aeroplane noises.

They were all relieved that Naruto still seemed to possess his usual personality and giddiness.

But despite Anko's best efforts, he still left his bowl unfinished.

"Right!" Anko gave up, wrapping her hand around the boys' wrist, halting the chase. "Since you didn't eat your food, you have to submit to my will! We're carrying the whole way! How do you feel about that?" Grinned the purple-haired girl,

Naruto's smooth cheeks popped. "No! I won't let yo- hey! ANKO! LET ME DOWN! NOW! NO! 'TACHI! GENMAAA! HEEELLLPP! OI! THAT'S IT! I'LL START SINGING! I SWEAR! LALALALAL LOOLALALALALALALALAHAHAHA LALALALALA LOLOLOL LILIL LAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Naruto continued to alternate laughing and singing obnoxiously, fidgeting for a good portion of the trip until he finally calmed down. He continued singing the whole way, though, and that night the ANBU all had terrible nightmares of chasing a purple singing dragon, trying to kill it.

… … … … … .. .. .. .. … .. … … … … …

Yes, I know this entire fic is rushed, lacking in description, blah blah blah, but that's because I want A) Feedback while I write, and B) I really can never stick out through the whole of an extended fic. So yea, Im rushing to just write down the base ideas of the story. I'll go back over and edit if I stick it out to the end.

I am not happy with this fic at all, the description sucks, but yea, I'll just publish it because it will otherwise end up like all the other fics I found just hanging out on my laptop


	6. Heart Troubles

_Seven Days from Konoha_

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The next morning found Itachi awake first in the group, something that he was relieved to get back to normal. After nudging Genma awake – he didn't need Anko's psychotic morning wrath this early – they got started on preparing a meal. Anko was soon awoken by the smell of cooking broth.

"Ugh." Anko fixed the soup with a bleary eye, nose wrinkling. "No thanks. Not Genma's cooking." She reached into her bag and began lazily scrounge around for a stick of dango she somehow had left. She huffed when Itachi snatched the bag away and thrust a bowl of soup into her hand.

"We're all eating the same thing. Besides, I helped make it to." Itachi stood as Anko rolled her eyes.

Itachi went to wake up the last remaining teammate, crouching over the small lump in the bed.

"Naruto." Itachi whispered, shaking the small boy awake. Naruto huffed a sleepy sigh and rolled over, covering his small eyes with the back of his hand. "Nugh, 'Tachi?" Naruto's' eyes were slitted and puffy. Itachi smirked and hooked his arms under Naruto's armpits, hoisting him up and out of bed. Naruto immediately curled his legs up to Itachi's chest, disgruntled by the loss of the warmth. Itach carried the boy over to the rest of the group, seating him in his lap.

"Hn, 'Tachi, don't want that. I don't want savoury food right now." Naruto flopped back against Itachi's chest, looking away from the food, pouting.

Anko was on the case, snatching up a stick of dango from her pack. "How bout sweet, sweet dango, ey? Its sweet! Not savoury!" She proclaimed with an eye smile.

Naruto blinked, humming. "Un, do we have any bread?" He asked hopefully. Itachi sighed and handed him a slightly stale bread roll, which Naruto took happily and started to nibble on it.

By the time they were packed and ready, Naruto had discarded most of the remaining roll. Itachi and Genma packed up the camp, whilst Anko examined Naruto's arm.

Itachi looked up from rolling up a futon to find Anko kneeling beside a seated Naruto, her head in her hands. Naruto was placing an uncertain finger on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"Anko? What's wrong? Is it his arm?" Itachi stood warily, fist clenching in apprehension. No one often sees Anko in such a vulnerable – or normal – state.

After a pause, Anko unburried herself from her hands and met Itachi's eyes, a crease between her own. "It's not his arm anymore." Anko ran a hand through her hair hysterically. She grasped Naruto's shoulders as Itachi rushed swiftly over. Anko had taken Naruto's shirt up to his neck, and Itachi could see the green tint to his veins that had spread even past his shoulder, almost to his chest. Even as he watched, Naruto scratched absently at his forearm, the only hint that he felt discomfort. The bruising, too, had spread and deepened, and now most of Naruto's arm from elbow to wrist was a splotchy purple.

"It's the bruising I'm worried about." Anko brushed her fingers against the boys skin. "The green is just the start, but the bruising is the damage that the poison is doing, attacking muscle and tissue." There was a pregnant pause, and Naruto wrested a sympathetic hand on his subordinates' bowed, purple head. Itachi looked away, lips twitching in a grimace. He ran a hand agitatedly through his trademark Uchiha locks, frowning. He felt a tug at his sleeve and glanced down at Naruto who was looking up at him questioningly.

Itachi just smiled reassuringly to the small boy, ruffling his soft locks. Anko pulled herself out of her stupor, drawing a breath. "Should have done something earlier." She mumbled.

"Don't." Naruto scolded softly. "It's not your fault, Anko. It's ok." Anko just shook off his consolations.

"I'll need to start the chakra reinforcement of your heart soon. Tonight, probably. I'll need to prepare, but now isn't the time. And Naruto, I don't want you damaging your body any more than the poison is, so Itachi's carrying you. Deal with it. None of that stupid singing and shit, got it." Anko glared at the boy.

"Okay." Said Naruto, for once conceding to the insane ninja's wishes. He tugged his tainted arm from her deathgrip, twitching his shoulder slightly.

"Shit – fuck, sorry Taichou." Anko gently rubbed his arm.

"Its ok, Anko-chan." Smiling lightly.

Anko smiled back before going over to Genma, explaining the situation to him in a hushed voice.

Naruto sighed. "They're going to do it again, aren't they 'Tachi-kun. Act like I'm on my deathbed." He huffed, before turning wide blue eyes to Itachi's own. "You won't, will you 'Tachi? You'll treat me like normal, won't you?" He asked hopefully.

Itachi paused, surprised, then smiled. "Ah, sure, Naruto."

"Alright then!" Naruto beamed. He then paused, looked dejected, and sighed. "Let's go then." He pouted, crossing his arms. Itachi smirked and swung the disgruntled boy into his arms, settling him comfortably. He caught Genma's wearily worried glance at the boy in his arms, but they set off, led by Anko, before either could say anything.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

They took less breaks from running than the days before, for a few reasons. One, that Naruto himself wasn't running and wouldn't need a break as often. Two, that Anko was clearly worried about the spread of the poison, and Itachi suspected her estimate had shortened at least a day. And three, because Naruto seemed quite comfortable in Itachi's arms, sleeping soundly only an hour into the trip.

By the time the sky had darkened and they stopped at a suitable camping spot, Naruto still hadn't woken up. He began to stir when the ninja carrying him slowed and stopped, and his mind took notice of the lack of continuous motion. He rubbed his eyes and allowed Itachi to seat him upright beside Anko's fire.

"I'm not hungry." Naruto refused the food he was handed. Anko frowned, and the three other ninja spent the next half hour force-feeding their Captain, neglecting their own portions. When he had been decently fed, the three ninja returned to their own portions.

Naruto sat in Itachi's lap, fiddling with a map of Fire Country. Anko was working on a seal for Naruto not too far off, and Genma was discussing with Naruto the easiest and fastest route to Konoha.

"If we had through the valley, it'll make a beeline for most the way." Reasoned Genma. Naruto shook is head in disagreement.

"Maybe it would, but when you reach the end of the valley you have to go over the mountains to get there, and going around them would take even longer than the route past Grass country. Besides, the valley is thick forest and you can't see the sky well to navigate. It's flying blind. This way's the easiest."

"Excuse me interrupting the discussion," Anko butted in with an un-apologetic tone. "but I've finished the seal. Move over." She elbowed Genma out of the way, who ended up lying disgruntled in the dirt.

Anko placed forefinger and thumb on the small, swirling seal she had drawn on parchment, her chakra lifting the design off and attaching it to her fingers. As Itachi lifted Naruto's shirt up and over his head, Anko positioned the glowing symbol close to the boys' chest, using the other hand to pulse chakra to locate the exact position.

"Hold his head." She instructed Itachi, tongue poking out in concentration. Itachi obliged, resting his palm against Naruto's head. The boy's eyes blinked curiously at the seal.

"Timed chakra pulse combined with strength seal?" Naruto inquired, studying the pattern.

Anko nodded distractedly. "Hn, yea. And medical repair and regeneration. It's not gonna heal the heart, just divert the poison to the tissue around it and strengthen it. I really hate messing with delicate stuff."

"Oh, I see. The edges."

"Yea. Now hold still kid, this will probably be uncomfortable." She paused, shrugging. "Well actually, I have no idea. Never done it before. But most the things I do make others uncomfortable, so It's all for fair warning."

Naruto gave a trilling laugh, settling back cautiously against Itachi.

Anko barely breathed as she touched her fingers to his chest. The seal suckered itself onto his skin instantly, glowing gold. The seal shone brightly for a few moments, then sank slowly under his skin. Naruto's head twitched under Itachi's hand.

"Are you alright?" Itachi frowned.

"Uh yea, just felt weird is all..." Naruto scrunched his nose.

Anko took a breath. "Ok, the seals in, now I'm gonna pulse my chakra through it. I'll keep it slow and gentle at the start, but I'll pick it up." Anko repositioned her fingers, so that the fore and middle fingers were pressed against his skin. She closed her eyes, using her chakra to see.

Naruto twitched under Itachi's hand. He was sure Anko felt it too, because she frowned, even with her eyes closed. Genma observed the tensing warily.

And again, Naruto's shoulders lifted fractionally. It was quiet and still within the camp, watching both Anko and Naruto for reactions.

The boy captain jerked again, this time slightly more violently, and Itachi tightened his hold on the boys waist and forehead. Genma, who had a visual on Naruto's face, made a start towards the boy, but stopped himself and instead clenched his fists.

Anko seemed to have decided she had eased into it enough, because the next shudder from the boy was only a few seconds later. This time, a small sigh-like gasp came from the boy as his bare toes curled in discomfort.

The ministrations continued for less than a minute after that, each pulse about five seconds apart. As Naruto relaxed, Anko opened her eyes and removed her hands from his chest.

"The blood vessels in and around his heart are now protected a little by chakra. If we keep doing that, Naruto should be ok, at least til it spreads anywhere else." Everyone's eyes were drawn to the green tint that had begun to creep down the boys' chest. They could only hope that the poison wouldn't be able to affect the heart badly; nothing could restart a destroyed heart.

Naruto sat forward, touching his chest lightly, rolling his shoulders. "It was alright." He shrugged.

Anko grimaced. "Maybe now it was, but when the poison gets there – its gonna hurt when we do that again." She grasped his bruised arm, examining it. "How does your arm feel?"

Naruto cocked his head, considering the question. "It burns." He decided. "Like its burning but sore at the same time."

"Does it hurt badly?" Genma asked.

Naruto shook his head negatively. "It's nothing too bad. Nothing I can't deal with." Smiled the boy happily. The tension in the group was lessened under the casual, comfortable conversation Naruto was holding.

Naruto wiggled in Itachi's arms. "I'm tired. Can I go to sleep now?" He asked Anko.

"Sure," she smirked. "I'm all done with everything now. But why are you asking me? You're the captain, you should be running the show."

Naruto smiled back. "Yes, but I never interrupt a lady when she's working."

Itachi smiled while Genma scoffed something that sounded like 'You think Anko's a lady?' And was promptly met with a fist to the face.

"You're gonna make a good boyfriend one day, kid." Anko smirked, wiping the blood off her fist onto Genma's pants.

"Not for another at least four foot in height, I hope." Itachi commented, swinging the boy up into his arms.

And so Itachi took the first watch, Anko the second, and Genma the third. The three refused to wake Naruto for his shift, and despite protests that he would wake himself up, the boy was too fast asleep to hold to his word.


	7. The Water's Nice

A plot hole from chapter 3-present has been fixed. It explains better how the poison is affecting Naruto. Please re-read the chapters if you want it to be cleared up.

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_Six Days from Konoha_

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The next morning once again had the group wrestling Naruto to eat food. Anko had woken during the night to administer treatment to Naruto with the help of Itachi, who once again slept with Naruto in his arms.

The boy looked even paler than before today, but otherwise remained in good spirits. The group were both pleased and worried that Naruto conceded to be carried with barely a grimace.

Naruto lay contentedly in Itachi's arms, the Uchiha once again volunteering to carry the boy. He was just glad Naruto had consented to move his gravity seals back to zero. It was never fun in training when the boy landed on you with four hundred kilos of weight.

Whilst mostly uneventful, the trip was stained with slight tension because of Naruto's frequent heart medications. It was obvious it caused the boy pain, and every time it seemed to get worse. Itachi nearly had his own personal heart attack when Naruto claimed he couldn't feel his heart beating for a full five seconds.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The group were pleased that the journey seemed quicker today. They reached a shaded, secluded section of forest on a river bend that was an ideal spot for camping, and settled down to make food. Although their supplies of fresh and 'decent' food was severely depleted –Anko was experiencing stage 4 Dango withdrawal – they still had enough rations to last a month. That and they could easily catch game within the teeming forest.

"Bath time!" Anko exclaimed loudly, stepping her feet into the river. As she took off her ANBU cloak, she revealed her usual... revealing mesh bodysuit, and not much else. She started to make quick work of that, too, and Itachi returned his attention to the fire, watching Naruto swing his feet back and forth obliviously. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Genma's impassive face redden as his eyes lingered reluctantly on the naked woman.

Itachi smirked, still facing away from the other man. "So, when are you going to mention to her that you fancy her?"

Genma twitched slightly in annoyance at being caught. "You're Uchiha eyes aren't seeing right, Itachi. I wouldn't like Anko if she were the last living woman in all of Konoha." He tried to remain neutral, but his tone still came off as defensive. Itachi shrugged, smirk widening. He swore he caught a smile on the Naruto's lips as well, despite still seeming to be unaware of what was going on. Well, you'd have to expect that a boy who made ANBU captain would have pretty good observation skills.

"Ahh, the waters' great!" Exclaimed Anko, as he climbed back onto the bank, only a towel hiding her body. Genma grunted, eyes fixed on the fire.

Itachi stretched his back. None of them had bathed in almost a week, not having the chance since they were on a mission that required instant coming and going. He was feeling uncomfortable in his clothes...

He stood up, gesturing to Naruto. "Coming for a bath, Naruto?" The boy looked up at him, and nodded, smiling.

"And you, Genma?" He asked as he hoisted Naruto onto his hip, quirking an eyebrow. Alone time with Anko a clean body... he wondered which he'd pick..

"Nah, I'm a bit hungry, I think i'll have some more soup." He shrugged, reaching for his bowl.

Itachi smirked, nodding, turning to move a _modest _distance away from the group before undressing – he wasn't Anko, after all.

He waded into the water with a stripped-off Naruto, gently guiding the boy under the arms when the water got too deep for him. He sat himself on a flat underwater rock, only a few metres off shore, and watched Naruto dunk his sunny hair under water, smiling as he rubbed dirt away.

He sat contentedly as Naruto splashed around and inspected the river floor marine life, relaxing in the cool water. The day had been warm, and the water was still heated from the suns rays. Naruto climbed onto Itachi's lap, showing him a small freshwater crab that skittered along his palm. He smiled, running a hand through the boys hair, which eventually turned to him washing any remaining dirt from it.

It was a while before Itachi realized that Naruto, leaning against his chest, was fast asleep, the crab long since released out into the water as his hand floated beside him in the water. Itachi smiled, rinsing dirt off the whiskered cheeks. He loved Naruto. He reminded him so much of Sasuke, and yet was completely different. Same age, similar sweet disposition, and yet... Itachi knew that if given the same sort of power and opportunities as Naruto, Sasuke wouldn't be able to retain such youthful innocence. He frowned at the thought of a corrupted Sasuke, silently cursing his family for their strict and hierarchical teachings. It was strange, how he simultaneously looked to Naruto for guidance, and yet at the same time checked to make sure he was alright. So small and fragile, yet so powerful and knowledgeable. It was an unnerving combination sometimes, especially when Naruto sprouted off a topic like tactical placement on the battlefield or successful methods of executing Genjuutsu users.

As a cool breeze started to blow, Itachi decided that it was time to leave the water. Allowing Naruto to float along in his arms, he waded to shore. He shook the boy lightly awake, and Naruto stood sleepily as he allowed Itachi to dry him off. As soon as they were both dressed, Naruto was back contentedly in Itachi's arms, asleep again.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Naruto awakened the moment he was placed on the floor by the fire, reluctantly taking the food he was handed. His appetite had lessened even more today.

After the meal and Naruto's treatment, the much cleaner ninja settled down for a relaxed night. They were deep in Fire country now, closer to Konoha than most rogue Ninja, bandits and vigilantes were comfortable coming. And so they settled down less on-edge, and what could be considered the most comfortable rest they'd had in days.


	8. Flames Burn

_Five Days from Konoha_

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Naruto awoke from his light sleep plagued with nightmares, face slicked with sweat. His chest felt heavy, and his arm was really hurting him.

Feeling ill, Naruto wiggled gently out of Itachi's hold – the boy seemed to find it uncomfortable when Naruto wasn't in his arms, getting used to carrying him every day. The other two teammates allowed Itachi the comfort of holding the boy – they knew that the older boy still felt responsible for Naruto's condition, and so let him find comfort in the holding the boy.

Once Naruto was standing, he crept silently to the dying fire, stoking it back to life. He leant back against a log, his right arm cradling his injured one. His stomach felt sick, and his arm felt like it was burning.

He pinched his throbbing arm, finding no pain relief no matter what he did. He rolled up his sleeve, examining the spreading bruises. It was strange, despite the bruises it looked normal, and Naruto couldn't understand how it felt so painful. His eyes turned back to the glowing fire, watching the flames flicker. He reached his fingers to brush the top of the fire, feeling the heat increase the slower he moved it.

Growing bolder, Naruto reached fully into the fire, feeling the heat against his skin, but not feeling any different pain. He twiddled his fingers. In fact, it felt kind of nice. The heat distracted him from the pain in his arm.

"What are you doing?" Hissed a voice behind him.

Naruto jumped lightly, brought out of his thoughts as his arm was yanked roughly from the fire. He looked up into the furious red eyes of Itachi, who gripped his forearm tightly.

"What were you thinking?" He demanded again, getting no response. He knelt down and placed one of the few healing juutsus he knew onto the boys' shiny flesh. Naruto looked down and away from the furious eyes, shrugging a shoulder.

They sat in silence as Itachi fumed, aiding the fox in healing his arm until all that was left was slightly pinker skin.

Swiftly, Itachi lifted the boy up under his arms and carried him out towards the river, wading waist deep in, fully clothed, still holding Naruto on his hip. He reached the rock he had sat on last night and sat Naruto on it.

The water reached the boys neck as he sat on the rock, finally meeting the older's eyes. Itachi reached out and grasped Naruto's arm, lifting it out of the water.

"Does it hurt?" He asked softly.

Naruto twitched his shoulder. The pain had receded slightly, whether from adrenalin or his sudden focus on the furious Uchiha. He quirked his lips, deciding on how to answer. "It feels like... like its melting in acid. I don't think I can feel my fingertips anymore." He added, flexing them experimentally.

Itachi pursed his lips. "So you weren't just being stupid, then."

Naruto kicked his legs and shrugged. The older boy sighed, brushing his hand up and down the boys' arm. He could see that Naruto was miserable. He was ashamed to admit that he couldn't tell whether his pain had suddenly flared up or if this was just the first time he had noticed Naruto's pain. For all he knew, he could have been feeling this since the second the needles went into his arm. He considered himself a master of observation, but yet couldn't read the feelings of a six year old boy.

"Does it feel any better?" Itachi asked.

Naruto glanced back at the water, his free hand waving around in it. "It does. I think the water cooled it a bit."

Itachi nodded slowly. "Alright," he sighed. "Let's get out." He took the boy back into his arms, wading back to shore.

Naruto drooped against his shoulder, eyes heavy. His injured arm lay limp and dangling. Itachi smiled, glad that the boy was comfortable enough to sleep, despite the pain he was feeling.

He may be unusually difficult to read, but this time, Itachi knew for certain he was lying.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Itachi woke for the second time that morning to the sounds of searing meat. Anko sat idly by the fire, picking her teeth, whilst Genma lounged nearby, chewing on a senbon. Naruto leaned against Anko's arm, whittling a lump of wood.

Anko's eyes shifted towards him, seeing he was awake. "Morning. It's rabbit for breakfast. Sweet, juicy rabbit." Anko drooled.

Itachi stood and went to seat himself by the fire, taking the offered portion of food. He watched Anko devour the food and Naruto only pick idly.

"You gonna eat that?" Anko leered, eyeing her empty bowl and Naruto's still full one.

"Yes, he is." Itachi interrupted shortly, pushing the food back towards the boy who had presented it in offering.

"I'm not hungry." The boy mumbled, shaking his floppy head.

"Don't care. Eat." Itachi demanded softly. Naruto glared up at him in a 'watch it' look, but the Uchiha ignored him. He watched the boy eat a few small pieces with a crinkled nose.

"Don't stop." Itachi urged, picking up the bowl as Naruto placed it on the ground. The boy twisted away from his hand, trying to feed him a piece.

"No. 'Don't feel well." The boy mumbled.

Itachi frowned. "You feel sick?"

The boy nodded in reply. "All morning."

"Could that be the poison?" Genma asked

Anko shot up, grasping at the boys' shirt. "Couldn't be. It can't have spread that far." The ninja sensed the strained infirmity in her voice.

Anko lifted his shirt and sighed in relief. For the first time, they could see the effects the chakra ministrations were having. Despite earlier fears, the poison was nowhere near the boys' stomach, stopping mid chest. The area around where the ninja knew the seal to be embedded was remarkably free of the green tinted veins, which spread out around it, beginning to circle it.

"Oh good. It's working." Anko said, pleased, gently prodding the unaffected area of skin. The flesh just above his heart was unmarred and pale, a small patch of solitude surrounded by the sickly green veins, winding through the boys' body like demented vines.

Emboldened by the current success, Anko administered another dose of chakra reinforcement before they headed off, Naruto snuggled comfortably in Itachi's arms.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Come on, open up." Anko half-pleaded as she tried to spoonfeed Naruto a simple broth. Taking the hint that Naruto wasn't doing well handling overly flavoured foods, the group had split, Genma and Anko heading into town to purchase fresh breads and rice biscuits that wouldn't agitate the boys' stomach. Itachi continued on the path with Naruto, meeting up not soon after with the remainder of the group.

But all of this had been in vain, it seems, as Naruto refused to open his mouth

"Just a few bites, and I'll leave you alone. Promise." Anko negotiated.

Itachi tuned this all out, eating his own portion of flavourless broth. The only taste was a hint of leek and tomatoes – gentle tastes that were recommended by Anko. The taste of tomato in his mouth reminded him of his little brother, Sasuke, who ate the red fruit as though they were apples. He would be starting the academy soon...

"AHA! Good boy!" Anko snuggled Naruto's head, rewarding the boy for finishing a few mouthfuls.

"Now, do you want some more?" Anko asked, holding the spoon up to his mouth.

"NO!"

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It was late at night, and it was Itachi's turn for guard shift. Head resting in his lap lay Naruto, also awake. Itachi smoothed blonde hair back from a damp forehead, stroking his hands gently through the soft hair. Although clearly trying to will himself to sleep, the blonde was taught and alert, eyes clenched and fisting the front of Itachi's cloak.

The boys' stomach was unsettled, even though he barely ate. Itachi would usually recommend he throw up food if it were unsettling his stomach, but Itachi was reluctant in this case as the blonde hadn't eaten a decent, whole meal in a few days.

An hour passed, and Naruto's nausea either mercifully receded, or his body just shut itself down into sleep. Either way, Itachi found the small hands slacken on the front of his robes, and smoothed the boys' forehead clear of wrinkles. He picked the boy up gently, resting his head on his shoulder, keeping him warm.

He kept watch for the rest of the night, Naruto asleep on his shoulder.

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My genius ending, as you can see. Yes, you guessed it. I decided to end there and used a no-brainer one-liner to cut the thing off.

I will occasionally throw in a jewel of literature, but everything else is pretty flat. I don't even proofread, that's how lame I am. Ahh well.. the next couple of chapters will be suspense building – the finale is the only reason I wrote the story!

The original idea in my head involved a moment where they were captured by rogue nins and some... mature content took place, resulting in emotional scarring. But I'm too unmotivated to try and work that in. So its' gonna be a travel story. Yay.


End file.
